


unacceptable, try again

by yawnralphio



Series: Fictober20 [5]
Category: 9-1-1 (TV)
Genre: M/M, buck is a city boy, fictober20, there was only one tent
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-10-11
Updated: 2020-10-11
Packaged: 2021-03-08 03:27:26
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,304
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26958802
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/yawnralphio/pseuds/yawnralphio
Summary: Camping wasn't exactly what Buck had in mind when he asked about survival techniques.
Relationships: Evan "Buck" Buckley/Eddie Diaz (9-1-1 TV)
Series: Fictober20 [5]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1967260
Comments: 3
Kudos: 70





	unacceptable, try again

Buck stood with his hands on his hips, surveying their surroundings. He had to admit that the view was pretty great, all things considered, but he wasn’t about to tell Eddie that.

There was an aging wooden picnic table a few feet away from a firepit made up of large rocks, both situated next to the gravel road they’d driven in on. The nearest campsite to them was out of sight, and if he strained, he could just make out the sound of a stream in the distance.

A stinging sensation startled him out of his thoughts, and Buck slapped at the side of his neck. “Why did we come out here again?” he asked, scowling down at his hand. It had a spot of crimson on it, along with the corpse of an insect that had eaten its last meal.

Eddie set a black tote down next to the picnic table with a grunt of effort. He gave Buck an exasperated look. “If I’m not mistaken, this was your idea.”

Buck turned his scowl on Eddie and wiped his hand on his jeans. “You only chose this place because of the name,” he accused. The drive had taken them a little more than two hours out of the city, and he hadn’t even known where they were going until Eddie’s massive truck was pulling off the highway and though the entrance. The sign that welcomed them said Buckhorn Campground.

Christopher’s voice broke through Buck’s thoughts. “You shouldn’t fight,” he said, blinking up at them from the far side of the picnic table.

Buck flashed him a smile and put a hand on Eddie’s shoulder. “No fighting,” he promised, patting Eddie’s belly. Eddie swatted his hand away and they turned in tandem toward the truck to retrieve more gear.

“I said survival skills,” Buck said under his breath as they dragged a large cooler onto the tailgate. “Getting eaten alive by mosquitos wasn’t exactly what I had in mind.” He slapped at his arm to stop another stinging itch, but there was no evidence on his hand this time.

Eddie rolled his eyes, ignoring Buck’s grousing while they wrestled the cooler over to the picnic table. “You can’t learn how to build a shelter or start a fire in the middle of Los Angeles.” He picked up the axe leaning against the picnic table and held it out handle first, nodding toward the edge of the treeline. “Now go find us something to burn, fireman Buckley.”

“We could have just bought some,” Buck muttered, but accepted the axe anyway.

“Can I come?” Christopher asked, perking up in his seat.

Buck raised an eyebrow at Eddie. He glanced at the axe in Buck’s hand, and then met Buck’s gaze. Buck nodded in understanding and rounded the picnic table to help Christopher stand on the bench. Then he turned, and Christopher clambered up onto his back.

“Point the way,” Buck said, adjusting slightly so he could pick up the axe again.

They entered the trees without looking back, but Buck moved in a wide arc and kept the truck in his peripheral vision. He moved carefully through the trees, hyperaware of his precious cargo. Only a few minutes passed in silence. Christopher pointed suddenly at a fallen tree that was roughly four feet in diameter.

“That one!” he cried, and Buck had to catch him as he slipped.

“I don’t think we can get that one back to camp, big guy,” Buck laughed. He wouldn’t be able to chop through it with an axe, either. “Let’s keep looking.”

The next tree Chris pointed out was wider than their tent, and Buck shook his head. “We’re strong, but we’re not that strong.”

They kept moving. It took them a while, but eventually Christopher settled on what was either a very skinny tree or a very long, straight branch. Buck bent and picked up one end of it, and made his way slowly back to camp. The addition of the tree wasn’t heavy, but it was difficult to juggle it, Christopher, and an axe. He almost sighed in relief when he dropped the wood next to the circle of rocks.

The tent had been put up in their absence, and the sound of Eddie setting up bedding sounded from within.

Buck deposited Chris into a camp chair and went to retrieve his crutches, leaning them against Chris’ chair so he wasn’t stranded. Then he headed back into the trees, bringing back a few more bits and pieces he’d seen along their route. He assembled the logs into a small pile and started in with the axe, chopping them into varying sizes that would burn easily. The rhythmic movements made his annoyance melt away.

The early afternoon sun grew hot as he worked, chasing off the mosquitos and the last of the morning chill. Sweat beaded along his temple and down his back, and he stopped briefly to tug his shirt off. He began stacking the wood neatly a few feet from the fire pit.

Eddie emerged partway through the process, zipping the tent flaps closed behind him. He made his way over to the picnic table, pausing along the way to kiss the top of Christopher’s head and ruffle his hair. When he reached the table, he started pulling bread and meats and condiments - all the fixings for lunch.

Buck’s stomach grumbled at him, and he stepped back from the stack of wood with a sense of pride. He’d gone a little overboard; they had more than enough to last them the next two nights, plus a little extra. He left the axe leaning against the pile and walked over to the table, eyeing Eddie’s methodical assembling of sandwiches.

Eddie picked up a plate and dumped a handful of chips onto it, then held it out to Buck. “There’s a few bugs in yours,” he said, nodding at the plate with a smirk.

“Unacceptable, try again,” Buck grimaced. He fought the urge to swat it out of Eddie’s hand and heard Christopher giggling behind him. The realization hit that Eddie was poking fun at him, and he took the plate with a huff, grumbling under his breath. He rounded the picnic table and straddled the bench while the Diazes laughed at him.

“City boy,” Eddie teased further, and Buck looked up in time to see his eyes wandering.

It was then that he registered he’d never put his shirt back on, and he could feel the flush creeping up his chest, his neck and face growing warm. He scanned the campsite for it and spied it several feet away where he’d tossed it haphazardly onto a chair. The heat crawled up the back of his neck, setting his ears on fire; he looked back at Eddie almost defiantly.

Eddie licked his bottom lip, his tongue sticking at the corner; a slow smile began to spread over his face. He gave Buck an even more obvious once over, and a different kind of heat settled low in Buck’s gut.

“Stop it,” he mumbled, curling an arm protectively around his stomach.

“Ain’t doing nothing,” Eddie drawled, picking up the other two plates. He walked over to sit next to Christopher. A moment later, Buck’s shirt landed next to him.

Buck glanced sideways at it and seriously considered leaving it where it was. They were in the middle of nowhere, after all; there wasn’t a soul other than Christopher around to witness the looks, the easy intimacy that had developed between them. He was already used to it anyway. But they’d only brought one tent, and no matter what kind of looks he got from Eddie, he wouldn’t have an opportunity to act on them until they got back to the city.

It was going to be a long two days.

**Author's Note:**

> Find me on [tumblr](https://yawnralphio.tumblr.com).
> 
> Reblog [here](https://yawnralphio.tumblr.com/post/631170666500112384/5-unacceptable-try-again-fox-911-fluff).


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